This is as per the official records. In reality, a large amount of consumer items and food products which are imported from UAE are sourced from India.

Main commodities exported to India are other nuts, fresh or dried, ferrous waste and scrap.

Among the Indian companies present in Seychelles, Bank of Baroda has been maintaining a successful overseas branch in Victoria since 1978. In the private sector, M/s Bharti Airtel Telecom group has invested over US$ 25 million in setting up the Airtel mobile telephone and internet services in Seychelles since 1998. TATA has supplied most of the fleet of buses for Seychelles to ply between its capital city Victoria and other regions of Mahé Island. Hyundai cars are popular in Seychelles and all the models plying on Seychelles roads are manufactured in Chennai.

The level of economic engagement including trade and investment does not measure up to the overall bilateral relationship. Although the business community in Seychelles is primarily Indian and the goods available in the market are mostly sourced from India, the volumes are less given the small size of the population. The scope of enhancing bilateral trade and investment regime has been discussed over the years, and it is felt that the approach should shift to a third country focus. It has been proposed to conduct a study to identify products which have not only ready market in Seychelles but offers scope for re-export. Similarly, the scope of investment could be viewed not only in the small territorial landscape of Seychelles but also as joint venture opportunities directed at emerging African and other third country markets. The High Commission has been engaging with the local business community (primarily Indian) with an eye on a qualitative transformation in our bilateral economic engagement with Seychelles.

Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is significant in the Seychelles context given the limited healthcare facilities available in this small island nation. As a country with strong commitment towards welfare measures for its citizens, Seychelles funds overseas treatment of patients for facilities not available locally. India has traditionally been Seychelles’ favoured destination primarily due to the high quality medical treatment available at relatively low cost. The only other country which competes with India in this sector is Sri Lanka. The Government of Seychelles has signed an MoU with the super-specialty MIOT Hospital in Chennai for treatment of its nationals. Meanwhile, the Mission continues to promote medical tourism by widely disseminating information on medical facilities available in India. Consequently, flow of patients from Seychelles to India has grown steadily, particularly after resumption of direct air connectivity since December 2014. This can be gauged from the fact that medical visas account for 45% of all visas issued by the High Commission in 2016.